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katyslifestory 's review for:
The House of the Spirits
by Isabel Allende
This was another book club book for me and, honestly, I wish I had received a little forewarning about the subject matter in this book. Usually at the end of my reviews, I talked about whether or not there was any profanity, sexual content, or violent content. But this time I just want to go ahead and say that all three are very prominent in this book.
The book follows three, kind of four, generations of an affluent family in Chile in the late 1800s to the mid-1900s. There is magical realism throughout the book, predominantly with the character of Clara who can see the future, speak to the Dead, and move things with her mind. Esteban is the patriarch of the family and is probably the most followed in the story. I really didn't like his character even when he went through some transformation toward the end.
The author's narrative writing is spectacular. I really liked how she took minor characters and interwove them throughout the story, how they played a major role in a lot of the plot points.
There is sexual abuse, domestic abuse, rape, an abortion, and violence throughout the story. It is definitely a book to be tried through lightly, and it took me a while to get through it because of that content. That being said, it is a very interesting story and very well written. I learned a lot about the political history of the country of Chile which I had known very little about before. I would recommend anyone to read this book with the caveat that I included above.
The book follows three, kind of four, generations of an affluent family in Chile in the late 1800s to the mid-1900s. There is magical realism throughout the book, predominantly with the character of Clara who can see the future, speak to the Dead, and move things with her mind. Esteban is the patriarch of the family and is probably the most followed in the story. I really didn't like his character even when he went through some transformation toward the end.
The author's narrative writing is spectacular. I really liked how she took minor characters and interwove them throughout the story, how they played a major role in a lot of the plot points.
There is sexual abuse, domestic abuse, rape, an abortion, and violence throughout the story. It is definitely a book to be tried through lightly, and it took me a while to get through it because of that content. That being said, it is a very interesting story and very well written. I learned a lot about the political history of the country of Chile which I had known very little about before. I would recommend anyone to read this book with the caveat that I included above.